Row Over Domestic Help In Noida Takes Ugly Turn. Twitterati Raise Doubts On National Security

Heavy violence erupted in the Mahagun Moderne Society of Noida Sector 78 on Wednesday when a huge crowd attacked the society complex for an alleged beating up of a maid and holding her hostage.

The home where the incident of beating up the maid for stealing money allegedly took place belongs to Mitul Sethi who is a captain in merchant navy. His wife, Harshu Sethi, is a teacher and the couple have a 5-year-old son. All three of them were at home when this violence took place.

Police and security force personnel face the mob. PTI

Around 500 people, most of whom were relatives and acquaintances of Zohra Bibi, a 30-year old maid, created a huge chaos around the society, pelted stones, entered the flat of Zohra’s employer Harshu Sethi and vandalized it.

The mob also created damage to security guard’s outpost. They alleged that the maid was kept hostage for the entire night and was assaulted physically.

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According to media reports, society security and the mob threw stones and bricks at each other, and one of the security guards even allegedly attempted to disburse the mob by opening fire in air.

To keep themselves safe, the family had to hide in the washroom of their house for about an hour. The family has, however, denied assaulting the maid and asserted that the maid was caught red handed while stealing Rs.10,000 from the house.

According to Harshu Sethi, when she confronted Zohra for stealing the money, the latter got scared and fled from the house. The matter was then reported to facility management of the society by Sethi. Harshu Sethi even offered to deposit Zohra’s phone to the facility management which the latter had forgotten at Sethi’s house while running away in a hurry.

The maid on the other hand said that her employers have got furious as she demanded her salary that was unpaid for two months.

The domestic help and the family registered an FIR against each other on Wednesday. On the next day, local residents and facility management of the society also filed two separate police complaints against people who created the ruckus.

PTI

According to a report by the Times of India, police conducted a search in the nearby slum area during late hours of Wednesday night and arrested 13 people for stone pelting.

The incident appears to have spread fear and panic among the residents of the society and surroundings. Since the maid as well as her relatives are believed to be of Bangladeshi origin, the Mahagun Moderne Society has banned employment of domestic help belonging to Bangladesh for security reasons.

It is believed that a large number of Bangladeshis are working in India as labourers, domestic help and in other minor jobs without work permit and other formal documentation. This is being viewed as a risk to the security of national capital region and the entire country in the wake of the huge hubbub that took place in and around the society in Noida.

There is a widespread uproar on Twitter as well concerning the issue of employing people from Bangladesh living and working in India. Check out some of the tweets here:

The antecedents of the rioting ‘helps’ in Noida would prove this UN report on India and Bangladesh. Let’s prove it. https://t.co/wJc6vv3Sh1

If maid was indeed assaulted as is being claimed by the mob, the police will find out and take appropriate action. The bigger concern is that a huge mob was hell bent upon destroying property and posed a direct threat to the lives of those who live in that society.